Kids under pressure to have 'perfect body'

26/08/2009

There is a direct link between's schoolchildren's level of happiness and their body mass index (BMI) a study has shown.

The study of 4,254 children aged between ten and 11 found a linear relationship for girls, who were happiest when thinnest, and a U-shaped association for boys, who were unhappy when they were too skinny or too fat.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

However, only 7.3 per cent of girls and 7.8 per cent of boys reported poor body satisfaction.

The study, conducted in Canada, set out to investigate the relationship between size and body satisfaction, as well as the effects of rural/urban residence, parental education and income, and neighbourhood household income.

Bryn Austin worked with a team of researchers from Harvard University and the University of Alberta, Canada on the project. She said: 'There is a well-established relationship between poor body satisfaction and increased risk of disordered weight control behaviours, including vomiting, fasting, and use of laxatives and diet pills for weight control.

'Importantly, body satisfaction appears to be responsive to school-based interventions.'

The BMI of each child was taken and they were then asked how much they agreed with the statement 'I like the way I look'.

For normal weight, overweight and obese girls the prevalence of poor body satisfaction was 5.7 per cent, 10.4 per cent and 13.1 per cent respectively. For boys this was 7.6 per cent, 8.4 per cent and 8.1 per cent respectively.

The study also found that girls from parents with low educational attainment and residing in rural areas were more likely to report poor body satisfaction.

Ms Austin said: 'Poor body satisfaction among males with a low BMI may reflect the cultural ideal for males to attain both muscularity and leanness; whereas, among females, thinness remains the culturally defined ideal body shape.

'Our finding that girls who reside in rural areas, controlling for BMI, are more likely to report poor body satisfaction suggests that appearance-related pressures may be higher within rural areas, or perhaps that girls in urban areas benefit from existing programmes that may protect against decrements in body satisfaction.'

NetDoctor, part of the Hearst UK wellbeing network
Netdoctor participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.